Families can serve as a safety net for individuals experiencing adversity. While most research has focused on the activation of the safety net – that is, the observed provision of support – understanding whether one has family members with the capacity to help provides another lens by which to measure population-level inequality. Even in the absence of actual help, the knowledge of having “social insurance” against economic distress may influence individuals’ behaviors.

In ongoing research, I extend prior knowledge of racial disparities in economic resources reproduced across generations by demonstrating how it affects the potential family safety net.